Storm strands U.S. holiday travelers, more than 1,240 flights canceled

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(Reuters) - Many holiday travelers in the United States were stuck at airports on the final day of Thanksgiving weekend after more than 1,240 flights were canceled because of a blizzard that swept across the Midwest, according to weather officials.

Blizzard warnings were issued in areas stretching across northeast Kansas to Chicago, with snow already falling in some regions including Kansas, central Missouri, southeast Nebraska and southern Iowa, said Bob Oravec, meteorologist for the National Weather Service.

The storm was bringing winds from 30 to 35 miles per hour

(48-56 kph), with gusts of up to 45 to 50 miles mph (72-80 kph). Snowfall totals were expected to be 6 to 12 inches (15-30 cm)

across those areas.

Oravec said Kansas and Chicago were likely to see “high impact” blizzard conditions later on Sunday.

More than 1,240 fights headed to or from the United States were canceled by Sunday evening, according to FlightAware.com.

Most of the cancellations were of flights departing or arriving at Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Chicago Midway Airport, which combined saw a total of about 900 flights canceled. At Kansas City International Airport, nearly 200 flights were canceled.

Reporting by Gina Cherelus in New York; Editing by David Gregorio and Peter Cooney